Plane Crashes on Frozen Alaska Lake; Father and Two Daughters Survive by Perching on Wing

A plane became partially submerged in the icy waters of Tustumena Lake, near the base of a glacier, on Monday, March 24, 2025, close to Soldotna, Alaska.

Plane Crashes on Frozen Alaska Lake; Father and Two Daughters Survive by Perching on Wing

A father and his two young daughters endured a frigid night on an icy lake after their small aircraft went down, using the plane's wing as a temporary refuge until help arrived.

According to Alaska’s News Source, the three survivors remained on the frozen surface of Tustumena Lake, located in the Kenai Peninsula, for nearly 12 hours after their Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser crashed. The aircraft partially submerged upon impact, breaking through the ice.

A statement from the Alaska State Troopers revealed that the plane was reported overdue late Sunday night, prompting authorities to initiate a search operation across Tustumena Lake and the surrounding Kenai Mountains.

On Monday morning, a pilot flying a separate aircraft noticed the wreckage on the lake’s eastern side and immediately reported it.

“I looked down and I could see the ice over the lake that’s up there at the moraine, at the toe of the glacier. And I could see kind of a dark spot,” said Terry Godes, the pilot who discovered the crash site, while speaking with Your Alaska Link. “At first, I could tell it was an airplane wing and so I made an announcement on the radio that I think I may have spotted them. I could see that there were three people on top of the wing. It was really good to see.”

Godes described the incident as a sequence of miracles—from the aircraft remaining afloat to the survivors managing to stay on the wing and enduring the harsh overnight temperatures, which plummeted into the 20s.

“They spent a long, cold, dark, wet night out on top of a wing of an airplane that they weren’t planning on,” Godes added.

At approximately 10:30 a.m., the Alaska Army National Guard successfully rescued the pilot and his daughters. Reports from Alaska’s News Source indicated that the girls were of elementary and middle-school age.

All three survivors were transported to a hospital in the Kenai Peninsula, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the possible cause of the crash, and an investigation is currently underway.